The Nightclub & Bar Show congratulates the 2014 winners of the Entrepreneur Awards. In its second year, the national awards program celebrates emerging small businesses producing innovative products for the nightlife industry.

The three winners were featured at the Nightclub & Bar Convention and Trade Show that place at the Las Vegas Convention Center on March 24 – 26, 2014. Here we highlight the companies that impressed the judges with their inventive products and creative business strategies.

OM “Organic Mixology”
OM "organic mixology" is a line of organic and gluten-free, bottled cocktails designed by mixologist Natalie Bovis and entrepreneur Jason Monkarash. OM is the world’s first USDA certified organic prepared cocktail. The product is made by blending organic sugar cane vodka, natural and organic extracts, and organic agave nectar. The admirable aspect of every bottle sold a tree is planted in Haiti through a partnership with Trees for the Future only adds to OM’s appeal.

Their on-premise work includes a focus in the luxury hotel industry where the company has gained traction with poolside bars and additional venues where quick turnaround for drink orders is a requirement. The high-quality product is beginning to gain headway in the nightclub bottle service arena due to its eye-catching presentation. Through their Million Tree Mission in which they plant one tree in Haiti for every bottle they sell in a partnership with charitable group Trees for the Future, OM is thoroughly dedicated to corporate social responsibility. The product is distributed by Southern Wine & Spirits in California, Nevada, and Florida.

"The entire team at OM is extremely honored by this award. We've worked very hard to deliver an unparalleled product that makes mixology more accessible to consumers while delivering establishments an alternative when they are short pressed for time but don't want to compromise on quality. Though we focus very heavily on marketing to the home entertainer, the brand has begun to take on a life of its own on-premise as both a standalone drink and as a modifier, which is why we're so excited to be showcasing OM and its on-premise uses at Nightclub & Bar this year, and even more so to be doing so under these circumstances." Jason Monkarsh, OM Spirits, CEO

LavCup
Here’s a typical scenario for you; you’re at a crowded bar with friends. After waiting in line to buy drinks, you realize you have to use the restroom. Once you’re in the restroom, what do you do with your drink and/or purse? LavCup is the first product of its kind to come up with a solution to this understated struggle that happens so often to so many of us. LavCup is an antimicrobial drink shelf.

This product has a health-conscious element to combat a bad habit most nightclub and bar guests have – taking their drinks into the bathroom. The catchy tagline of “Because You Can’t Hold It” has made LavCup appealing to nightlife venues throughout the United States. LavCup’s drink holder products incorporate built-in, changeable advertisements to address the widespread problem male and female venue guests experience when taking a drink and/or purse into the restroom, while allowing advertisers to target a captive audience through high quality impressions. The product’s ability to integrate advertising has added appeal for potential venue customers. In fact, the product is provided to venues for free and LavCup generates revenue through the product’s advertising elements.

LavCup Owner and Creator Matt Williams devised the idea for the product while attending Villanova and making regular bar visits with friends. Once the idea took shape from his college bar experiences, Williams began the process of developing and patenting his product, which uses a silver ion coating to create the antimicrobial environment.

“With the creation of the Entrepreneurs Awards Program, Jon Taffer and his team at Nightclub & Bar Media Group clearly understand that entrepreneurial thinking is the lifeblood of continuous innovation. LavCup's inventive restroom drink holders not only add value to venue owners and their guests, but also allow advertisers to target a truly captive consumer within restrooms of nightclubs, bars and other hospitality venues like never before. Think about it, 'Where do you put your drink when you're in the restroom?'” Owner and CEO, Matt Williams

Guester Technologies
Guester Technologies is a product that provides a cloud-based management system that enables nightlife operators to increase productivity through the same technology most employees use on a daily basis. Guester’s Management System provides venues with an end-to-end, real-time business solution in which staff members, promoters and upper management can all access information they need to implement the venue’s overall business model.

The system includes a Door Application for the iPad that allows door staff to communicate guest demographics in real time and provide staff throughout the venue with updates on VIP check-in, guest tallies, male-to-female ratios, cover charges, table locations and more in order to create the perfect experience for different guests on a nightly basis. This completely digitized management system has allowed venues to increase revenues and cut expenses to generate the profits they demand in the competitive nightlife industry. For more information, visit: guester.com.

The nightlife industry is primed to undergo a revolution in technology and Guester is paving the way. Nearly every other industry has worked to increase their efficiency and revenue through the streamlining of their digital services and Guester is updating the nightclub and bar scene with their new product.

The Guester Management System, Door Application and our new Concierge Platform provide the right tools, information and simplicity to make things better for club owners, clubgoers and any third-party partners involved. These components are wrapped in a stylish, easy-to-use interface that leaves the paperwork virtual and lets everyone get down to the business of having fun.

“We are here to make things simple. We understand the reality of the nightlife industry and realize that everything up until now depended on old-school technology. So, we've brought the approach, the process and the results into the 21st century." –CEO, Itay Weiss